Skateboarders brokenhearted by ban from Philly's Love Park may have new object of affection

PHILADELPHIA – Brokenhearted skateboarders who have long been denied access to Philadelphia's internationally renowned Love Park may have a new object of affection. It's called Paine's Park.

The $4.5 million city plaza officially opens Wednesday — but don't call it a skate park. Officials say it's a 75,000-square-foot public space that happens to be skateable.

Supporters have spent more than 10 years trying to build the park. It now sits next to a popular exercise path along the Schuylkill (SKOO'-kul) River, offering amenities for both skaters and non-skaters.

The project was spearheaded by the Franklin's Paine Skatepark Fund. The advocacy group was founded after boarders were exiled from Love Park in 2001.

Then-Mayor John Street instituted the ban because he said skaters were destroying the park's granite ledges, steps and benches.